Midship: Donations as pipeline work continues
Cheni ere Energy Inc. is spreading more goodwill across parts of Oklahoma as it continues to work on its $1 billion Midship Pipeline.
Earlier this month, Cheniere's subsidiary Midship Pipeline Co. LLC announced it had donated $120,000 to improve emergency radio communications in Bryan County, to buy a new tornado siren for the town of Blue and to provide 125 weather alert radios to residents throughout the county.
Jim Privett, the company's vice president of pipeline and midstream project management, said the company wanted to provide that assistance after the area on April 30 was struck by a tornado that killed at least one person and injured a half-dozen others.
“Midship is committed to the communities where we operate, and we are pleased to announce this gift to Bryan County and the community of Blue to make sure its residents are weather aware and safe,” Pr ivett state di na release announcing the donations.
Officials said the sir en at Blue is synchronized with a network of sirens throughout the county. They also said the radio communications enhancement involves a repeater station that will improve the capability for emergency responders to talk to one another during future severe weather events.
The donations were applauded by local, state
and congressional leaders, including U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin, who represents that part of Oklahoma.
“This contribution will literally save lives by strengthening the community's preparedness, response and recovery efforts with an enhanced communication infrastructure ,” Mull in stated in the release.
Officials said Midship since 2016 has donated more than $600,000 to community organizations and programs in the eight counties the pipeline will cross.
The donations were made to support emergency workers, agriculture educators and science, technology, engineering and math initiatives.
Gifts have included $20,000 provided to the Ki a mi chi Technology Center that was used to buy welding equipment for students, plus tens of thousands of dollars more to Bryan County fire departments and to students from Bryan County involved in the FFA and Oklahoma Youth Expo.
As designed, the 200- mile-long pipeline starts in Kingfisher County and heads south and east. In Bryan County on the Oklahoma/Texas line, the pipeline is designed to link into the nation's interstate pipeline system.
The company had hoped the line, with a daily capacity of up to 1.44 million dekatherms (about 1.44 billion cubic feet) of natural gas, would be operational this quarter. However, a spokesman said this week the plan now is for it to be operational before the end of the year.
The line is expected to be a major output for natural gas produced and processed in Oklahoma's SCOOP and STACK fields, part of the Cana Woodford Basin.
While it may take processing capacity in those fields a bit to catch up, a Cheniere spokesman previously had said the the line will boost the availability of natural gas for the nation, plus provide a ready source of product that ultimately can be exported from the U.S. via liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals.
Cheniere's main business is LNG exports, with two established, still-growing terminals in southwestern Louisiana and in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Cheniere officials previously estimated the pipeline project would create 1,300 jobs during peak construction and 10 to 15 permanent jobs related to its operation. Previously, the company stated it expected to pay $200 million in ad valorem taxes during the line's first 10 years of operations.
Devon Energy Corp., Marathon Oil Corp ., Ci mar ex Energy and Gulf port Corp. have pledged to use the line and are the four foundational shippers on the project.